He credits last summer's Black Lives Matter protests for bringing the issue to the forefront, showing that there are a lot of cultural references that need to be updated -- including geographic names. The others were rejected by the US Board on Geographic Names in 1998, the resolution stated. With pushes in both Vermont and Texas to change names containing the word "negro," similar movements may occur across the country. Haaland's office told CNN it is "reviewing the options available" for renaming sites with offensive names. In September 2020, she introduced a bill calling for the Board on Geographic Names to "review and revise" offensive names of federal land units, and to create an advisory committee to recommend what names were to be reviewed by the board.

Source: CNN July 11, 2021 06:56 UTC